Dāna and Support for Springboard

One of the foundations of our community is the practice of dāna, or generosity. When we give freely from the heart we feel a natural sense of joyfulness and belonging. This inner experience, when consciously recognized and fostered, creates an important foundation of relational sensitivity and connection that supports the path to Awakening.
The teachings of the Dharma are considered priceless – beyond material value. Traditionally in Asia, teachers of the Dharma are supported materially by the community. In this spirit, our teachers offer their time and guidance freely, and our community provides our lovely studio and all that needed to support the teachings at no cost to the students. Therefore, financial stability of the Sangha depends directly on the donations of students. We invite you to join in this age-old tradition of giving and receiving.

Dāna Direct

Support Springboard Meditation Sangha and its teachers with a regular contribution of Dāna electronically. You can download this electronic fund transfer (EFT) form, fill out your bank information and how much you’d like to transfer each week or month. EFT deposits your donations to the Sangha’s account directly. This is extremely helpful in allowing us to have a steady income and, in turn, helping us to make financial decisions based on that information.

Dana and Teacher Support

The first thing the Buddha often taught to lay followers is the practice of dāna, or generosity. When we give freely from the heart we feel a natural sense of joyfulness and belonging. This inner experience, when consciously recognized and fostered, creates an important foundation of relational sensitivity and connection for the rest of the path to Awakening.

The teachings of the Dharma are considered priceless – beyond material value. Traditionally, monastics sharing the Dharma are supported materially by the lay community. In this spirit, I endeavor to offer my time and guidance as a spiritual friend freely whenever possible. At the same time, much of my livelihood depends directly on the donations of students. Whether you have attended a workshop, a mentoring session, or retreat, I invite you to join in this age-old tradition of giving and receiving. You may read more below on dāna and Teacher Support.

More on Dāna in the West

For thousands of years, the Dharma was preserved and taught primarily by monastics. Monastics make the commitment to give up certain aspects of worldly life, like handling money, storing and cooking food, trading goods, having sexual relations, etc. in order to focus on cultivating the heart. They offer spiritual and religious teachings to the lay community, who in turn offer material support in the way of food, medicine, clothing, and shelter. In this way, the monastic and lay communities have lived in harmony with and dependence upon one another for millennia.

Today in the West, for the first time in history, the teachings of certain schools of Buddhism are being held and offered largely by teachers who are lay householders. We have the same financial responsibilities as other laity, and live and teach in a Western culture that is rooted in a paradigm of value based on exchange (“I give you this for that”). These two factors – having financial responsibilities, and living in an exchange-based culture – create a unique situation for teachers and students in the contemporary Dharma world.

Because lay teachers depend on the financial support of students for their livelihood, it can be a challenge for both sides to experience the “freely offered” aspect of dāna. What’s more, the practice of dāna can become relegated in our minds to making financial donations – a tragic limitation of a practice that is much more about living with a spirit of broad, open-hearted generosity in all regards. To address such complicated areas of the relationship, we can make a distinction between “Teacher Support” – offering donations to support our teachers materially – and the practice of dāna – cultivating a heart of generosity. I hope these reflections may be helpful for you in understanding the relationship we are invited into through the these teachings.

PayPal Donations

You can support the Sangha with a one-time or monthly donation. For credit or debit cards click on the donate button below. For checks, make payable to “Springboard Meditation Sangha” and mail to:
530 Carpenter Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19119
(Or leave your check in the wooden dana box in the studio.)

Amazon Smile

Shop on Amazon using Smile and Amazon donates a percentage to Springboard.

Help support the Sangha and spread the word with our new T-Shirt. The shirts come in a wide variety of earthly colors with the Springboard Meditation Sangha logo on it.

Buy now with PayPal (Credit Card) or buy one in person at the Sangha. All online orders should be picked up at the Sangha.